Re: Re: [Harp-L] Courage and self-criticism

["Tim Moyer" <wmharps@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

iceman wrote:
> Commenting on somebody else's playing in an honest way (i.e. 
> telling drummer his meter is off) is usually not appreciated 
> unless you are asked for a critique - human nature and all - 
> so you may want to bite your tongue on this one.
 
This is true, but sometimes it can't be avoided.  The band I play 
with uses several bass players depending on availability.  We've had 
challenges with some of them -- not learning the parts properly, 
rushing the tempo, etc. -- and had to confront them with these 
challenges in order to try to improve our performances.  We've had 
mixed success with this: one guy decided he didn't want to deal with 
it (he stood us up at a performance and hasn't been heard from 
since), and one really rose to the criticism and became a much more 
solid player.  It depends a lot on how you approach it, and the 
personalities of the people involved.  

> As to "someone thinks I overplayed on a number or that I sound 
> flat...", the "someone" should really be YOU. Learn to trust your 
> feelings. Deep down inside, if you become honest with yourself, 
> you will have a "knowingness" on some level about how you play. 
> You won't need confirmation from someone else. Aside from 
> developing this honesty, you may also
> 1. Record yourself and listen back later. VERY REVEALING. 

I have come to believe that recording and reviewing is the key to 
improving your performance.  It also helps when you're critiquing 
someone to be able to point to specific examples.  Most of the time, 
however, I like to use recordings more constructively, to hear what 
went *RIGHT* with a performance and capitalize on it.  If something 
happens serendipitously, you can highlight it in future 
performances.  Many times I hear something in a recording and 
think, "That sounded cool, I'll practice that and do it again the 
next time".  Sometimes that happens between band members as well.  

Many times you *feel* a performance went a certain way, bad or good, 
and a recording might show you otherwise.  Developing an honesty in 
yourself about your performance is much easier when you can listen 
objectively later.

-tim